Capacitors in Series and Parallel

Combined capacitance (C) of
capacitors connected in
series:  
 1    =    1  +  1  +  1  + ...
C C1 C2 C3

Total capacitance of Capacitors connected in series are determined like resistors in parallel

 

Combined capacitance (C) of
capacitors connected in
parallel:  
C = C1 + C2 + C3 + ...

Total capacitance of Capacitors connected in  parallel are determined like resistors in series


 

 

Two or more capacitors are rarely deliberately connected in series in real circuits, but it can be useful to connect capacitors in parallel to obtain a very large capacitance, for example to smooth a power supply.

  

 


Reactance, Capacitive (XC)
Electronics: The opposition to the passage of AC (alternating current) in electronic components caused by capacitance and determined by the equation below, where f is the AC frequency in hertz and c is the capacitance in farads.
XC = 1 / (2 pi f c)
 
Reactance, Inductive (XI)
Electronics: The opposition to the passage of AC (alternating current) in electronic components caused by inductance and determined by the equation below, where f is the AC frequency in hertz and I is the inductance in henries.
XI = 2 pi f I